Zach Dell's Base Power inks 40 MW residential battery deal with Austin Energy
Austin Energy will dispatch a 40 MW fleet of home batteries from Base Power for peak shaving and price spikes, while homeowners get whole-home backup.
By Ryan Merket · · updated
Why it matters
Utilities are starting to treat networks of home batteries as virtual power plants. If Base Power proves out in Austin, founders and operators in distributed energy could see a repeatable model: customer-owned assets that provide backup at the home and dispatchable capacity for the grid, helping contain peak prices without building new peakers.
Base Power, led by CEO Zach Dell, has secured a 40 MW residential battery agreement with Austin Energy, the municipal utility said in a news release (link: https://austinenergy.com/about/news/news-releases/2026/Austin-Energy-expands-local-battery-storage-to-support-reliable-affordable-power).
Under the arrangement, Austin Energy will dispatch the aggregated home batteries during peak demand or price volatility to shave load and manage wholesale costs. Base Power will handle installation and maintenance and is preparing its offering for a launch later this summer. The combined fleet can deliver the full 40 MW for about an hour and a half or discharge smaller amounts over longer periods, and participating homeowners get whole-home backup capability during typical outages.
"This partnership is an example of our all-in approach to providing sustainable, affordable and reliable power for our customers," Austin Energy General Manager Stuart Reilly said in the release. Dell added: "Base was founded in Austin, and we're excited to help improve local grid reliability, while also providing homeowners access to affordable home backup." Dell also highlighted the announcement in a post on X (link: https://x.com/ZachBDell/status/2056805553486307500).
https://x.com/ZachBDell/status/2056805553486307500
The deal stems from a February 2025 RFP for local battery storage. Austin Energy is contracting only for capacity; it is not party to agreements or billing between Base Power and customers, and the utility says nothing changes about its electric service, rates, or billing. Austin Energy framed the residential portfolio as a dispatchable, flexible resource that complements an earlier 100 MW battery project within its Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035.